BRITISH detectives investigating the disappearance of a student nurse will today meet their German and Belgian counterparts in the hope of finding new lines of inquiry.

The meeting, organised by Kent County Constabulary, will bring officers together to discuss the investigation into the disappearance of 24-year-old Louise Kerton.

Miss Kerton's Welsh-born family fear she may have been the victim of a serious crime after vanishing while visiting her fianc&#xE9; Peter Simon's family in Aachen last July.

The purpose of the meeting, in Kent, is to enable law enforcement agencies from Britain, Germany and Belgium - where Miss Kerton is believed to have travelled - to discuss all issues which may help the investigation and progress made so far.

Miss Kerton's father Phil, 56, from Abergavenny, and mother Kathy, 55, from Holywell, have expressed their concern about the lack of progress so far by the German police.

The couple, who now live in Kent, are convinced Louise is dead and want the police to switch their efforts to tracking down her killer, rather than carry on searching for her as a missing person.

Last year they hired the former head of the Metropolitan Police's Royal Protection Squad, Caernarfon-born Dai Davies, to carry out his own independent investigation into their daughter's disappearance.

Mr Kerton told The Western Mail last night he sees the meeting between British, German and Belgian police as a breakthrough.

"We are hoping they do actually share all the information available and evaluate it professionally, progressing in ways that show action is being taken," he said.

"We believe Louise was a victim of serious crime and we believe that this should be followed up with an appropriate investigation."